Sorry that some of these pics are out of sequence, but I have had my hands really full recently what with 2 kids and 2 jobs!!!!




My son Dylan with our old dog Lucy on his first trip in the van








My missus (who won't thank me for this picture)




We took my nephew to volksworld (before the interior was converted). Proof that you don't need a fancy interior to get a good sleep in the back of a bus!!!



The missus



Me (a few years ago now, pre kids)







My son loves playing in the bus... even if we haven't gone anywhere....








Trouble is, his favourite thing to play with is the Jack Daniels minature bottles!!!!!










flip

WORK IN PROGRESS - WAITING FOR PHOTOBUCKET TO UPLOAD PICS

8 months ago, we had our second child (a girl called Isabella) and as a consequence of two kids under 2, we only got to use the bus once last year.

This is a pic of the whole family the one and only time it was used....





My son Dylan





Now aged 2 1/2





My daughter Isabella - aged 8 months




As I am really keen for their childhoods to be filled with happy memories of camping holidays in the vw bus, I decided this winter I wanted to update the van to make it reliable and useable ready to start taking the kids camping.

I had planned to just fit heat exchangers to my old engine, but after doing the sums of changing the tinware, buying decent OG heat exchangers, a new exhaust, parts, labour etc, etc, etc it was looking to be a bit pricey to get heat the stock way!!

With someone smiling down on me, I happened to be in the right place at the right time, talking to the right person and I was offered something just a little bit different in part exchange for my current motor......

The plan now was to turn this....





into this....





Jim is working on the bus at the moment, ready to hopefully suprise the missus for her birthday when I can take her away camping in the bus and have the luxury of heat (as her birthday is in March!!!!) and a reliable engine.

To get over the heating issues, Jim is going to fit a propex instead of heat exchangers (More pics to follow)

Whilst adding heat, he is going to fettle a few other bits and pieces to make the ride more enjoyable.


flip

Jim's words (copied from his website), not mine.....

Flip's bus comes in for an engine swap to a 1776cc turbo self-tune EFI lump. Along with the necessary fuel tank upgrades, fuel line & oil line improvements. Along with converting the front suspension to coil over shocks & Propex gas heating for more enjoyable cruising.


Fuel tank gets flow & return JIC fittings TIG'd into position to manage the increased fuel pressures required by the EFI engine. Turbo inlet pipework will have swages formed into the pipes to improve the fit of the samco hoses & powder coating to match the tinware.





Engine teardown begins.





Oil pressure sender swap to match the gauge in the bus. Universal case blanking plate drilled & threaded to suit the oil temp' gauge.


Turbo inlet & exhaust pipework along with the header removed to gain access to the oil fittings behind the turbo. Exhaust header heat wrapped to manage under valance temp's and protect the new oil pipework as it routes to the external filter & cooler.





Throttle body & injector before and after. Previous install had the injectors hard up against the fan housing causing poor connections & a broken electrical connection.






That's better!


Cooling






Powder coating of turbo header





More to follow...

flip

Your bus looks the nuts & with your new little goodies , going to be a great experience with yours kids so young. Mine are now 11 & 15 the age where its not so cool to be with the parents anymore..

One of my favourite buses just keeps getting better, how about a little holiday down to North Devon, to be part of a family friendly show right next to the beach, it would be good to get you on board for "Big Sunday" in June.

BO JANGLES wrote: One of my favourite buses just keeps getting better, how about a little holiday down to North Devon, to be part of a family friendly show right next to the beach, it would be good to get you on board for "Big Sunday" in June.

Any news updates yet Bob ??

Flip,

Stunning......

Thanks for the recommendation on the interior - Daron has come up trumps

Phil.

p.s. At what point did adding a turbo satsify this requirement: ??

'I decided this winter I wanted to update the van to make it reliable and useable ready to start taking the kids camping'

Bren Ralls
Thanks a lot mate for the kind comments! I'm really looking forward to using the bus this year and taking the kids away camping and day trips in the bus!!!

You are absolutely right about them not thinking its so cool in years to come, that's why I'm gonna try and get in early and spend as much time as I can with them now.

Don't worry, by the time they go to uni - they will realise just how cool spilts (and thus dad actually is)!!



BO JANGLES

Cheers mate, your bus is one of my inspirations for keep trying to improve mine. Would love to have mine as well finished as Mr BO is!!

I would have loved to come to 'Big Sunday' as its is more my kind of thing being a little bit more laid back, but sadly my team is rota'd on to work that bank holiday weekend, so I will not be able to come this year. I will definately try to make it next year - if you are crazy enough to do another!!!

Are you doing any other shows?? Would be nice to see Mr BO in the metal as only ever seen pics.



OxonPhil

Been following your build thread throughout mate and I have learnt loads from you which I can hopefully use when it comes to restoring mine!!! Yours really is gonna be one of the best samba's out there mate!!!

I am still over the moon with my interior. Daron has done a really class job, and it was well worth the extra expense (IMHO).
I also really like what they did with your speakers in the seat and was going to talk to them about something similar in my bus (if that is ok with you??).

As for the turbo, that fits the 'useable' part of the scentence - (but missed out 'useable at warp speed')
As for reliable, don't tell the missus!!!! Shhhhhhhhhh - everyone knows that turbo charged engines are more reliable!!!

flip wrote: OxonPhil

As for the turbo, that fits the 'useable' part of the scentence - (but missed out 'useable at warp speed')
As for reliable, don't tell the missus!!!! Shhhhhhhhhh - everyone knows that turbo charged engines are more reliable!!!

That's kinda what I thought

Phil.

p.s. No worries about the speakers, that's the great thing on here, we all pick up little ideas here and there

Cheers Phil,

Glad Matt got the skylights sorted for you! He is a genius of all things metal!

I am hoping to get him to do the metal work on my bus when the time comes.

Just keeping it mechanically useable for now until I am not paying 2 nursey fees and can get the welding done (hopefully next year).

flip

Hi all,

Well sorry it has been a long while since I have posted up any updates.

Here goes, there has been a lot to comment on.... both good and bad!!!


The GOOD

Whilst Jim was working on the engine, I got him to do a couple of other bits and bobs...


Firstly, I got him to install the propex that I bought over 2 years ago, which had been sitting in my garage collecting dust. I didn't want the plastic air vents supplied with the kit to be cut into the repro devon interior, so Jim came up with a clever solution of having a reducer made to plumb it into the stock heater tube.

It has a quick release fitting so that it can be quickly disconnected and the gas bottle used for the cooker.




Also, I bought a repro westfalia hammock off a guy on here (details to follow, but available in the for sale section) and had it installed. Really happy with it and helps solve the sleeping issue until I can afford an eriba familia.

The canvas is currently green, but will be getting it made up in brown as soon as I can to suit the bus a bit better.




My son absolutely loves sleeping on it!!!


Pics of the install of the engine.




And with it finished




Had to have a custom exhaust fabricated as all the off the shelf ones had clearance issues with the turbo header, or were too loud, etc, etc, etc....




Sadly they tacked on a boy racer exhaust tip, which will be coming off as soon as I can afford to do so!!




The BAD

The engine has been fitted with a CB quicktune EFI turbo system fitted to it, but sadly it has been a bit of an ongoing nightmare!!!

It has developed an intermittent fault, so one minute it drives perfectly, the next it drives like a pile of S**T.

This only presented a week or so before Jim went off on his travels which he didn't have time to sort out before he left....


The culprit




Consequently, I could not risk taking the missus and the kids in a bus that didn't work properly. I had to go to volksworld in the daily, which was just not the same!!!

I have since booked it in with Matt Keane, to try and sort it out, so that I don't miss the whole of the summer....

More to follow........


flip

Well oxonphil was absolutley right!!

Fitting a motor with turbo is definately NOT the thing to do if you want to make it more reliable!!

In fact, if you don't want to see or drive it for 3 months, it is the perfect thing to fit!!

Problems associated with the CB ECU have meant the engine has been down with MAtt Keane for 3 months!! Even he could not sort the problem, so has leant me a pair of turbo spec dell's to get me through the summer.....

The bus is on the back of Craigs transporter heading up from Cornwall as we speak!!!

Pics to follow

flip

5 year bump!

Sorry forgot the photo!

What's the plan ? Still looks a lovely bus.

It's made it down then.

Will be interesting to see what the stripping reveals.